WHITE WEEHAWKEN -- Robert and Angela de Zeeuw of Weehawken sent a series of photos of Weehawken in the snow, including several of the waterfront and one of a beautifully decorated house. Got great Weehawken photos? Email up to three per message, as .jpg attachments, to editorial@hudsonreporter.com and put “Weehawken photos” in the subject head.

The offices of the Hudson Reporter will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 31 and Jan. 1, 2014, in observance of New Year's Day. The office will reopen Thursday, Jan. 2.

Thus, the advertising and editorial deadlines for the Hudson Reporter newspapers will change.

For the Wednesday, Jan. 1 Bayonne Community News, the deadline for editorial content is Friday, Dec. 27 at 9 a.m. and the deadlines for classified and display advertising are noon that day.

Instead of the regular North Bergen Reporter, Secaucus Reporter, Weehawken Reporter, Union City Reporter, West New York Reporter, Hoboken Reporter, and Jersey City Reporter for Jan. 5, the Hudson Reporter will be publishing our annual county-wide “Year in Review” that Sunday. That special edition will not contain letters to the editor. The deadline is Friday, Dec. 27 at 9 a.m., for editorial content, and the deadlines for classified and display advertising are Monday, Dec. 30 at noon.

PERC extends invitation to holiday dinner, seeks donations

The Palisades Emergency Residence Corp. (PERC), based in Union City, invites the public to their holiday dinner on Monday, Dec. 23. PERC runs a shelter, soup kitchen, and some local social services.

The event takes place from 6 to 7 p.m. at 111 37th Street. Caroling will be performed by students from Union City.

A release notes, “For many people in our community, this will be the only holiday meal they will enjoy this season. Dinner is free tonight and every night for all who come. Monetary donations are greatly appreciated to help us create this special event. Please consider making a donation. Thank you!”

PERC serves dinner every night of the week at 6 p. m. The weekly food pantry provides groceries to low-income households every Wednesday.

For more information, please call them at (201) 348-8150 or visit them on the web.

Bill cracking down on autobuses released from Senate committee

Legislation sponsored by Senator Nicholas Sacco (D-Hudson, Bergen) establishing a Bill of Rights for Customers of Certain Autobuses and imposing fines for unlicensed drivers, was released by the Senate Transportation Committee in Trenton on Dec. 12.

The bill was introduced in response to an accident that caused the death of Angelie Paredes, an eight-month-old North Bergen infant. The bill contains many reforms aimed at improving safety for pedestrians, commuters, and all residents of areas where the vehicles operate.

Angelie died last summer after an autobus jumped the curb along Boulevard East in West New York, knocking down a lamppost and striking and killing her. It is alleged that the driver of the vehicle was using his cell phone at the time of the accident, according to a spokesperson.

The bill, S-3082, establishes a bill of rights providing for customer protections, obligations for owners and operators of certain autobuses, and basic level of expectations and guarantees of health, safety, and welfare of autobus operators. Second, it imposes fines of up to $5,000 on the owner of an autobus company for allowing drivers without a valid commercial license. Lastly, the bill allows for police officers to obtain a blood sample from an autobus operator if the vehicle was involved in an accident resulting in the death or the serious bodily injury of any person.

Palisades Medical Center was scheduled on Dec. 19 to break ground and begin construction on its new on-campus ambulatory care center.

Representatives from Palisades and developer Duke Realty were expected to be on hand.

Palisades Medical Center’s ambulatory care center will be a 57,000-square-foot facility that will also provide specialty care services. Featured in the new building are a dialysis center, Hackensack University Medical Center’s John Theurer Cancer Center, and a center for endoscopy, cardiology, gastroenterology, orthopedics, and multi-specialty physician practices from Hackensack University Medical Center. Construction is scheduled to be completed next fall.

“The new ambulatory care center will expand Palisades Medical Center’s capabilities and provide our patients with convenient access to new, specialty care services that they would otherwise not find in our communities,” said Bruce J. Markowitz, president and CEO.

“It is critical in today's healthcare environment to create facilities that support our mission and goals through operational efficiencies, patient comfort, and clinical outcomes,” the CEO said. “This expansion will also help create a significant number of job opportunities for residents in our community.”